WPB doctor not changing stance on mammogram screenings

WEST PALM BEACH, FL (WFLX) - A West Palm Beach doctor is weighing in on the new government guidelines to screen for breast cancer.

A government task force says routine mammograms are unnecessary for most women in their 40s. Instead, they say, low-risk women should only start getting screened in their 50s every other year.

They say earlier screening leads to false positives.

But the medical director of the breast institute at JFK Medical Center says most women are willing to go through that anxiety. "More women are willing to accept the risk," said Dr. Beth Lesnikowki, JFK Medical Center Breast Institute. "They might have additional biopsies in order not to miss a cancer."

Dr. Lesnikoski says she will continue to tell her patients to get yearly mammograms at age 40.

Medicare and the health insurance industry both say there are no plans to change coverage for the procedure.

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